Delhi’s per capita income up 16.6% to Rs 1.76L: Data

NEW DELHI: The economic slowdown of recent years has not affected the urban Delhiite much. Not only has the city's per capita income increased, spending on leisure and comfort has also kept pace. At least that's the picture the Delhi government has drawn using data from the Delhi Statistical Handbook 2012, released on Tuesday.

The government can preen itself on the data that includes four crore mobile users, addition of five lakh vehicles in a year, and soaring sales of high-end liquor and cinema tickets. Vehicle ownership has also increased to a point where every fifth household (20.7%) has a car.

Although chief minister Sheila Dikshit's interpretation of the numbers for financial year 2011-12 projects an image of all-round prosperity, a closer look at the chapter on trade and finance shows the improved lifestyle is partly made possible by personal loans. In 2010-11, scheduled commercial banks had lent Rs 87,653 crore as personal loans and professional services. In 2011-12, the outstanding amount increased to Rs 1.25 lakh crore.

The government's statement presents a rosy picture of development in a city that will go to the polls a year from now. The report points out that Delhiites are "in the habit of enjoying their lives and make use of available entertainment". More than 88% households have TV sets yet the popularity of cinema shows is undiminished.

The handbook states that 98,000 persons visit theatres daily. Delhiites are also consuming more hard drinks with 2.5 crore cases of all kinds of liquor and beer being sold in 2011-12.

Citing the rise in per capita income, the government claims Delhi is the second richest state in the country. During 2011-12, per capita income rose to Rs 1,75,812 against Rs 1,50,753 in 2010-11. An increase of Rs 25,159 or 16.6%.

The government also claims that Delhi is saving for its future needs. The report shows that an amount of Rs 66,567 crore was deposited in 2,847 branches of various banks in the city. "This reflects a sound economic situation in the capital city due to proactive economic policy of city government," Dikshit claimed.

As regards amenities available in houses, the report reveals that the capital is just 0.9 percentage points shy of achieving complete electrification. The report states that 99.1% households have electricity connections and there are 34.65 lakh electricity consumers. Piped water supply also does not reach everyone as connections are available in only 81.33% houses, as per the report.

Per capita, Delhi residents consume 50 gallons of water per day with 15.4 lakh metered and 39,930 un-metered connections. In 2011-12, Delhi processed 847 million gallons of water every day. As per the report, not all households have toilets — 10.5% families do not have the facility at home.